A 1-year-old needs between 11 and 14 hours of total sleep per day, including naps. Most children this age get around 11 to 12 hours of nighttime sleep plus 2 to 3 hours of daytime sleep split across two naps. These recommendations, endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, apply to the full range of 12- to 24-month-olds.
Nighttime Sleep at 12 Months
By their first birthday, most children are capable of sleeping 10 to 12 hours overnight in a single stretch. That said, plenty of 1-year-olds still wake once or twice during the night, especially if they’re used to being fed or comforted back to sleep. This is normal and doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong.
Most 12-month-olds are getting enough nutrition during the day that nighttime feeds are no longer a biological necessity. If your child is healthy and growing well, this is a reasonable age to begin weaning off night feeds if you choose to. Some families keep a nighttime feed for comfort or bonding, and that’s fine too.
Naps: How Many and How Long
At 12 months, most babies take two naps per day: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each nap typically lasts 60 to 120 minutes, with a combined total of 2 to 3 hours of daytime sleep. Wake windows at this age (the time your child stays awake between sleep periods) run about 3 to 4 hours, though some children push closer to 5 or 6 hours before their afternoon nap.
Getting the timing right matters. A child who stays awake too long between naps can become overtired, which paradoxically makes it harder for them to fall asleep. On the flip side, offering a nap too early can lead to short, unrefreshing sleep.
When to Drop to One Nap
Most children transition from two naps to one somewhere between 13 and 18 months. Your child may be ready for this shift if they consistently show several of these signs over a period of at least one to two weeks:
- Nap resistance: regularly protesting or refusing one of the two naps
- Trouble falling asleep: taking much longer than usual to settle at naptime or bedtime
- Short naps: naps shrinking to 30 or 40 minutes despite good conditions
- Late bedtimes: needing to push bedtime later and later to fit both naps in
- Night wakings or early mornings: sleeping poorly at night despite getting two full naps
A bad nap day here and there doesn’t mean it’s time to drop a nap. Look for a consistent pattern over at least two weeks before making the switch. Many 12-month-olds are not ready yet, even if daycare puts them on a one-nap schedule. If your child still naps well twice a day and sleeps through the night, there’s no reason to change anything.
The 12-Month Sleep Regression
Right around the first birthday, many parents notice their previously good sleeper suddenly fighting bedtime, waking at night, or skipping naps. This is commonly called the 12-month sleep regression, and it’s driven by a collision of developmental changes happening at once.
Children this age are learning to walk, pull up, and cruise along furniture. Their brains are buzzing with new motor skills, and that physical restlessness can make it hard to wind down. Separation anxiety also tends to peak around this time, so your child may cry when you leave the room at bedtime in a way they didn’t a month ago. Teething pain from molars can add another layer of disruption. Some children even begin having early nightmares, though this is less common at 12 months.
The good news: sleep regressions at this age typically last only a few weeks. Keeping your child’s sleep schedule and bedtime routine consistent through the rough patch helps them come out the other side without developing new habits (like needing to be rocked to sleep) that are harder to undo later.
Sleep Environment at 1 Year
One-year-olds should still be sleeping in a crib. Most toddlers don’t transition to a bed until somewhere between 18 months and 3 years old, and there’s no benefit to rushing it. The American Academy of Pediatrics considers a child to have outgrown their crib when they’re taller than 35 inches or when the top of the crib railing hits at mid-chest level while they’re standing. If your child is climbing out of the crib, that’s the clearest signal it’s time for a bed, because the fall risk outweighs the containment benefit.
As long as your child hasn’t outgrown the crib and isn’t scaling the rails, keeping them in it is the safer option. A toddler bed gives a mobile 1-year-old free rein to wander a room unsupervised at night, which creates its own set of problems.
What Healthy Sleep Looks Like Day to Day
A typical day for a well-rested 1-year-old might look something like this: wake around 6:30 or 7 a.m., morning nap around 9:30 or 10 for about an hour, afternoon nap around 2 p.m. for an hour to an hour and a half, and bedtime between 7 and 8 p.m. That’s a rough template, not a prescription. Every child’s internal clock is slightly different, and the “right” schedule is the one where your child falls asleep without a prolonged battle, sleeps through most of the night, and wakes up in a reasonably good mood.
Children who consistently fall short of 11 hours total may show signs of sleep deprivation: increased fussiness, clumsiness, difficulty paying attention during play, or a wired, hyperactive energy that looks like the opposite of tiredness. If your child is hitting the 11- to 14-hour range most days and seems alert and happy during wake times, their sleep is on track.